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MBTA officials are looking into a $3.5 billion plan to overhaul the Green Line, bringing new trolleys to upgraded tracks onto the light rail system.

The tunnels of the Green Line date back to 1897, making the system the oldest in America.

The Green Line, which sees four lines converge on downtown Boston, has about 200,000 trips every weekday. It's the busiest in the country, running along Boston University up to Boston College, and in the other direction, past the Museum of Science and into Cambridge.

The proposed changes, if implemented, could increase ridership to 450,000 a day.

But a consultant's report from November 2017 about derailment issues and said many "components within the Green Line system are well beyond their normal useful lifecycles and require replacement."

It's not just new trolleys and tracks

MBTA

It's not just new trolleys and tracks

Before appearing in front of the MBTA's fiscal control and management board, top agency officials briefed reports on the multi-phase effort to revamp the troubled light rail system.

"This is a real vision for the Green Line, long-term and short-term," MBTA general manager Luis Manuel Ramirez said.

The plan doesn't just include new trolleys and upgraded tracks: The MBTA wants longer platforms, rebuilt maintenance facilities to handle fixing the new trolleys, and an upgrade to power systems for higher capacity trains. Some of those improvements are part of the first phase, which will cost about $950 million.

"We know that our trains are crowded every single day, no matter which line that you operate on," said deputy general manager Jeff Gonneville.

Gonneville added that the "time is right" to start thinking about making strategic investments to add capacity to the system.

'Little more off the shelf'

MBTA

'Little more off the shelf'

Above, No. 8 and No. 9 are the current models.

MBTA officials looked at seven concepts with several goals in mind, including no stairs on the new trolleys.

MBTA also is eager maximize the number of passengers the Green Line can carry, possibly doubling ridership on a daily basis. They also wanted more doors opening and the trolleys to have the ability to navigate the curves, crests and sags along the various Green Line routes.

The new trains will be a "little more off the shelf," Gonneville said.

That means parts will be available from multiple vehicle manufacturers, rather than a specialized, "bespoke" set-up that is costly to maintain.

MBTA

This is the concept they chose

MBTA officials picked "Concept D." One "Concept D" trolley carries the same number of people as a two-car "No. 8" that's on the tracks today.

The modular design has 7 sections, and 5 door openings on each side. There are no stairs, the floors are meant to align with the platform.

More room and maneuverability

MBTA

More room and maneuverability

This design, according to the MBTA, opens up more floor space for people with strollers and in general people can move more freely.